The first update,

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The Ma Family is quite famous in the Ninghai medical community, with famous physicians emerging in generations from all over the world. Perhaps it's related to Elder Ma's position as a professor, that there isn't a specific requirement for the family members to practice traditional Chinese medicine or Western medicine. However, the true heirs of Ma Family's medical secrets are only a few disciples personally cultivated by Elder Ma.

The Ma Family owns an ancestral home, but it's usually empty as few people return unless it's during traditional festivals such as Qingming, Mid-Autumn Festival, or Spring Festival when they gather. The elder family members, though, prefer living here, enjoying the tranquility and fresh air. This preference is somewhat similar to Cai Pingyuan's selection for the location of the Xingyi Martial Arts Hall, which is also at the foot of a mountain.

Guided by Cai Pingyuan, Qin Fang quickly arrived outside the Ma Family's ancestral home.

The ancestral home of the Ma Family, nestled at the foot of Qing Mountain, looks quite ancient. Judging from its architectural style, most of it dates back to the Ming and Qing dynasties, spanning a few hundred years, which reveals the long history of this illustrious family of physicians.

Of course, there are clear signs that the mansion has been renovated. It must have suffered significant damage during the wars. After all, during that particular civil war, Ninghai was once the temporary capital, and it was exceptionally challenging to cross the Yangtze River and seize it.

Nevertheless, this mansion embodies the long history of the family and its enduring prosperity, which in itself speaks volumes of its heritage.

The old gatekeeper, who was an old acquaintance of Cai Pingyuan, became a bit more vigilant at the sight of Qin Fang's car. But seeing Cai Pingyuan alight from the vehicle beside Qin Fang, he simply nodded at Cai Pingyuan before lying back down on his chair with his eyes closed.

"He is Uncle Ya, an elder of the Ma family who grew up with Elder Ma since they were young, it's just a pity… Don't regard him as just a gatekeeper. The younger generation of the Ma family all grew up under his watch and respect him greatly. You better behave yourself, that man is no simple character…"

After entering the gate with Qin Fang, Cai Pingyuan glanced back at the gatekeeper and then said to Qin Fang.

"Master, do I look like someone who would misbehave?"

Qin Fang replied with a wry smile, thinking to himself, "Do I look like I've got my head caught in a door to go looking for trouble with that old man? I'm not tired of living yet!"

Although the old man is mute, he is, amazingly, a high-level expert with an unknown level, just like Cai Pingyuan… It wasn't long ago that Qin Fang had a sparring session with Cai Pingyuan, and had they not simply been exchanging moves, Qin Fang would have been quickly subdued by him. And Uncle Ya's strength is probably not far behind Cai Pingyuan's.

"Isn't the Ma Family renowned for its medical expertise? Yet why does it seem more like a martial arts family?"

This confusion began to stir in Qin Fang's mind. Cai Pingyuan was already considered the head of a martial arts family, and his strength was just above Level 6. Yet here was the Ma Family, a family of divine doctors with an old servant whose abilities were comparable to Cai Pingyuan's, which implied…

"What do you know? The reason traditional Chinese medicine is not very prominent nowadays is because many secret techniques have been lost, including some that used inner breath for healing…"

Seeing the expression on Qin Fang's face, Cai Pingyuan patiently explained.

"Oh, I see!"

Qin Fang suddenly understood. The gradual decline of national arts, aside from the overwhelming power of firearms that rendered physical strength almost useless, was also due to the loss of cultivation methods for internal energy.

The same reason accounted for the decline of traditional Chinese medicine, which had become more haggard day by day. Inner breath was difficult to cultivate, and without anyone cultivating it for three generations, the inevitable result was the loss of secret techniques. Over the centuries, this led to the current situation.

That the Ma Family still exists today is somewhat down to luck, and naturally, they still possess methods to cultivate inner breath. Since Uncle Ya grew up with Elder Ma, it's not strange that he learned such a method. Not being a member of the Ma Family, he couldn't learn their secret techniques, so he simply took his martial arts skills further.

This had nothing to do with Qin Fang; he was just accompanying his master for a visit.

The Ma Family's ancestral home was vast, and the scenery in the courtyard was also quite beautiful. Qin Fang and his companion reached the Zhongting without encountering many people, but did notice a girl in a white dress practicing acupuncture on a medical Bronze Man.

"Yunzhi girl…"

Cai Pingyuan recognized the girl and immediately called out.

Ma Yunzhi paused, then looked in the direction of the voice, and saw Cai Pingyuan and Qin Fang standing on the steps. Her fair and delicate face immediately lit up with a radiant smile, "Grandfather Cai, you're here! Are you looking for my grandfather? Unfortunately, he's just gone out for a walk and might only be back later. Please have a seat in the meantime. I will ask someone to prepare some tea for you…"

"You carry on with what you were doing; I can manage…"

Cai Pingyuan was familiar with the place and didn't mind, motioning with a wave of his hand to Ma Yunzhi.

That was when Ma Yunzhi noticed Qin Fang who was standing beside Cai Pingyuan. They were of similar ages, and she knew many people from the Cai Family but had never seen Qin Fang, which piqued her curiosity.

"Yunzhi girl, this is my newly accepted disciple, Qin Fang. You two are young; you should get to know each other better…"

With Cai Pingyuan's sharp eyes, he noticed Ma Yunzhi's gaze and immediately introduced her, casually ushering Qin Fang towards Ma Yunzhi.

"Miss Ma, hello, my name is Qin Fang..."

Although Qin Fang was somewhat depressed, he still greeted Ma Yunzhi very politely.

"Hehe, you are Grandpa Cai's disciple, so you're not an outsider. Calling me Miss Ma is too formal, just call me Yun Zhi. I'll call you Qin Fang..."

Ma Yunzhi was not like Cai Qing, who always kept others at a distance. She was very amiable and even her speech was tender and gentle, giving a sense of warmth like a spring breeze, which immediately made Qin Fang feel much closer to her.

"Then I'll call you Yun Zhi, and you call me Qin Fang."

Since the lady had already been so generous, it would have been pretentious for Qin Fang to not go along, "Yun Zhi, are you here... practicing acupuncture?"

Looking at the bronze man in front of him, which also seemed to have many years under its belt, its surface was covered with dense holes corresponding to various acupoints, while Ma Yunzhi was holding a bunch of thin needles in her hand.

"Mmm! You know our family are all doctors, and acupuncture is a very important skill in traditional Chinese medicine. I've practiced for more than a decade and am still just at the beginner level. How can I improve if I don't practice more?"

Ma Yunzhi appeared to be quite talkative, treating Qin Fang very kindly, without any sense of strangeness, and her conversation was quite casual.

"I wouldn't be certain, I was watching from behind for a while just now, and I noticed that your needle placement was precise. Although I am not clear on how well you control the force, but I imagine it's absolutely spot on!"

This was not something Qin Fang had figured out on his own, but something Cai Pingyuan had mumbled at the time, which Qin Fang had simply learned and used on the spot.

"Qin Fang, are you also interested in acupuncture?"

Acupuncture is a skill that is easy to learn but difficult to master. Don't think it's just simple needling; there are countless intricacies within it. Even Elder Ma, a giant in the field of traditional medicine, wouldn't dare claim that his acupuncture skills were the best in the world.

And laypeople couldn't see the nuances of Ma Yunzhi's needling technique, but anyone with a little bit of knowledge could tell that Ma Yunzhi's skills were extraordinary.

"I do have a bit of interest; one of my elective courses is in traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture... but I estimate that the teacher of this course is probably not as good as you..."

Qin Fang said with a chuckle. This was indeed the truth; he had only chosen the course two days ago, and the latter part of his remark was more of a compliment.

"You're really good with words, making a person feel a bit embarrassed! If you'd like to learn, I can teach you some simple things..."

Ma Yunzhi laughed thanks to Qin Fang's flattery, a bit of flattery that brought them closer.

"That would be an honor I couldn't ask for..."

Qin Fang immediately turned into an eager student, learning from Ma Yunzhi's side. Ma Yunzhi seemed quite happy to have a student and started to teach in earnest.

"This kid... could he really be aiming to pursue Yun Zhi?"

Cai Pingyuan was drinking tea in the hall and seeing that Qin Fang hadn't come in, he came out with his teacup and immediately saw Qin Fang and Ma Yunzhi by the acupuncture bronze man, chatting and laughing, seeming to get along quite well. He immediately started to muse with a chuckle.

"Qin Fang and Yun Zhi do seem quite compatible. If they could come together, it would surely be a match made in heaven!"

There's a saying—a disciple is like half a son. Cai Pingyuan has a few sons, but Qin Fang, the disciple taken on later in his life, is the one that truly satisfies him. He had contemplated pairing Qin Fang with his granddaughter Cai Qing, but Cai Qing was much older than Qin Fang, and considering her sexual orientation, that idea fell through.

When he had pushed Qin Fang towards Ma Yunzhi earlier, he hadn't thought about this aspect, but now that he saw the two getting along so well, and considering his very good relationship with Elder Ma, the idea naturally occurred to him.

If Qin Fang knew his master was entertaining such thoughts, he probably would have keeled over right then and there.

Although Ma Yunzhi was quite beautiful and had a very pleasant personality, that did not mean Qin Fang started to feel passionate every time he saw a beautiful woman. The reason he got along so well with Ma Yunzhi was purely to learn some acupuncture skills from her.

"Skill Acquired: Acupuncture, Skill Level: Beginner, Proficiency: 0%."

This was evident just by looking at the skill acquisition prompt Qin Fang had just received.

Coming from a family of traditional doctors, Ma Yunzhi's prowess in acupuncture was already strong, as Cai Pingyuan had mentioned. Even though Qin Fang was also going to take an acupuncture class, how could such an elective, with teachers perhaps knowledgeable but sticking to the textbook, compare with the practical teaching from Ma Yunzhi?

(To be continued, for more please visit www.qidian.com. More chapters are available there and your support for the author and legitimate reading is appreciated!)

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